Features

Chipping away at the genome of a tiny parasitic bacteria, genetic-sequencing trailblazer J. Craig Venter and colleagues say they’ve synthesised the shortest-known genome known to support life. This man-made set of genetic instructions contains only 473 genes, breaking the record held by the bacteria Mycoplasma genitalium, which with 525 genes contains the shortest-known genome found in nature.

Even with such a short list of genes, the researchers say the function of nearly a third of those genes remains a mystery — a hint that scientists still don’t fully understand the basic genetic requirements for life.

The so-called minimal genome, described in the journal Science, could help scientists better understand a cell’s essential instructions and shed light on the early evolution of life on Earth. The discovery could also pave the way towards creating designer microbes that could efficiently perform a host of functions useful for humans, from pumping out medicines to synthesising biofuels.

“As people start to think of industrial applications, de novo design using the repertoire of genetic pathways on this planet open up infinite numbers of new pathways that have never even been part of people’s imaginations before,” Venter said in a press briefing. “So I think it’s the start of a new era; it won’t happen overnight.”

Venter, who founded the La Jolla, California-based J. Craig Venter Institute and biotech company Synthetic Genomics, gained fame in 2007 for being the first human to have his entire genome sequenced. But long before that, he and his colleagues turned heads in 1995 when they reported that they had sequenced the first complete cellular genomes (one of which was M. genitalium) and showed four years later that many of those genes don’t seem to be necessary for growth.

In 2010, they announced that they had created the first synthetic organism by building a genome of M. mycoides from scratch and placing the finished product inside of a M. capricolum cell whose DNA they had removed.

But with a few exceptions, they had left M. mycoides’ genetic instructions mostly intact. This time the researchers wanted to create a living cell that had only the necessary genes for life.

This approach proved to be much harder, and to take much longer, than the team initially thought. Various estimates had put the number of essential genes anywhere from 256 to around 300, Venter said, and so the researchers took to designing with that in mind. They picked all of the genes that they thought were necessary in mycoides and put them together. Those directly designed cells did not work.

“No surprise to everybody now that has seen this paper, every one of our designs failed,” Venter said.

So the scientists began adding mycoides genes back to their designs until they got a functioning cell, and then divvied the genome up into eight overlapping chunks. They would delete genes in a given chunk and then add it back into the whole genome to see if the cell still functioned. If it didn’t work, they’d eliminated something essential. If it did work, they’d gotten rid of something that the cell hadn’t needed to survive.

They also found a number of quasi-essential genes, which, when deleted, would impair growth. Because the researchers needed to grow their bacteria fast enough to get their lab work done, some of these genes were kept in, even though there were not strictly necessary for life.

The scientists then synthesised their own version, consolidating the genes that worked together the way you might defrag your computer. This time, once they had inserted the man-made genome into an emptied cell of another species, it worked.

Although this is the shortest functioning genome now known, it is not the only minimal genome, the authors pointed out. First, they had to make concessions to include a few quasi-essential genes that sped up the growth time. Second, if they had started with a different critter — perhaps a photosynthetic or methanogenic bacteria, for example — they would have probably ended up with a different looking set of core genes.

But the research opens up a host of avenues to explore, the scientists said, pointing to the 149 genes in the minimal genomes whose exact function remained unknown.

“Knowing that we’re missing a third of our fundamental knowledge, I think, is a very key finding, even if there’s no other uses for this organism,” Venter said.

The next steps will include trying to nail down what those functions are; since some of those unknown genes seem to be shared by other species, they could point to basic required functions that scientists aren’t aware of yet.

And once they fully understand this genome, researchers can then start adding genes into the mix to see how they affect the cell, learning more about the additional gene in the process.

“One thing I’ve learned from this is the whole idea of the minimal genome is not quite as clear- cut as it seemed initially,” said project leader Clyde Hutchison of the J. Craig Venter Institute.

WASHINGTON — The extraordinary legal fight pitting the Obama administration against technology giant Apple Inc. ended unexpectedly after the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) said it used a mysterious method without Apple’s help to hack into a California mass shooter’s iPhone.

Left unanswered, however, were questions about how the sudden development would affect privacy in the future, and what happens the next time the government is frustrated by digital security lockout features.

Government prosecutors asked a federal judge on Monday to vacate a disputed order forcing Apple to help the FBI break into the iPhone, saying it was no longer necessary.

The FBI used the unspecified technique to access data on an iPhone used by gunman Syed Farook, who died with his wife in a gun battle with police after they killed 14 people in San Bernardino, California, in December. The justice department said agents are now reviewing the information on the phone.

But the government’s brief court filing, in US District Court for the Central District of California, provided no details about how the FBI got into the phone. Nor did it identify the non-government “outside party” that showed agents how to get past the phone’s security defences. Authorities had previously said only Apple had the ability to help them unlock the phone.

Apple responded by saying it will continue to increase the security of its products.

“We will continue to help law enforcement with their investigations, as we have done all along,” the company added in a statement, while reiterating its argument that the government’s demand for Apple’s help was wrong.

“This case should never have been brought,” the company said.

FBI Assistant Director David Bowdich said Monday that examining the iPhone was part of the authorities’ effort to learn if the San Bernardino shooters had worked with others or had targeted any other victims. “I am satisfied that we have access to more answers than we did before,” he said in a statement.

The dispute had ignited a fierce Internet-era national debate that pitted digital privacy rights against national security concerns and reinvigorated discussion over the impact of encryption on law enforcement’s ability to serve the public.

Rep. Darrell Issa, R-California, said in a statement that while it was “preferable” that the government gained access to the iPhone without Apple’s help, the fundamental question of the extent to which the government should be able to access personal information remains unanswered.

Issa, a critic of the administration’s domestic surveillance practices, said the government’s legal action against Apple raised constitutional and privacy questions and that “those worried about our privacy should stay wary” because this doesn’t mean “their quest for a secret key into our devices is over”.

The surprise development punctured the temporary perception that Apple’s security might have been good enough to keep consumers’ personal information safe even from the US government.

And while the Obama administration created a policy for disclosing such security vulnerabilities to companies, the policy allows for a vulnerability to be kept secret if there is a law enforcement or national security rationale for doing so.

The withdrawal of the court process also takes away Apple’s ability to legally request details on the method the FBI used in this case. Apple attorneys said last week that they hoped the government would share that information with them if it proved successful.

The justice department wouldn’t comment on any future disclosure of the method to Apple or the public.

Denelle Dixon-Thayer, chief legal and business officer at Mozilla, which makes the Firefox web browser, said in a statement that “fixing vulnerabilities makes for better products and better security for everyone” and the “government needs to take that into account” and disclose the vulnerability to Apple.

Jay Kaplan, a former NSA computer expert who’s now CEO of cyber-security firm Synack, said it is likely Apple will pursue avenues to further lock down their operating systems and hardware, especially as a result of the public announcement of some new technique to crack their phones.

US Magistrate Sheri Pym of California last month ordered Apple to provide the FBI with software to help it hack into Farook’s work-issued iPhone. The justice department relied on a 1789 law to argue it had the authority to compel Apple to bypass its security protocols on its phone for government investigators. While Magistrate Judge James Orenstein in New York ruled last month in a separate case that the US was seeking broad powers under that legal argument, the decision wasn’t binding in the California case and the justice department is appealing.

Technology and civil liberties organisations say they’re concerned the case is far from settled, with some worrying that smaller companies might not have the resources to fight off similar demands.

Apple CEO Tim Cook had argued that helping the FBI hack the iPhone would set a dangerous precedent, making all iPhone users vulnerable, if Apple complied with the court order. He as well as FBI Director James Comey has said that Congress needs to take up the issue.

Apple was headed for a courtroom showdown with the government last week, until federal prosecutors abruptly asked for a postponement so they could test a potential solution brought to them by a party outside of the US government last Sunday.

The encrypted phone was protected by a passcode that included security protocols: a time delay and auto-erase featured that destroyed the phone’s data after 10 tries. The two features made it impossible for the government to repeatedly and continuously test passcodes in what’s known as a brute-force attack. But with those features removed, the FBI said it would take 26 minutes to crack the phone.

A law enforcement official said the FBI would continue to aid its local and state partners with gaining evidence in cases — implying that the method would be shared with them. The official spoke to reporters on condition of anonymity because he wasn’t authorised to publicly comment.

High on the waiting list for assistance likely is Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus Vance, who told a US House panel earlier this month that he has 205 iPhones his investigators can’t access data from in criminal investigations. Apple is also opposing requests to help extract information from 14 Apple devices in California, Illinois, Massachusetts and New York.

With a sharp yet more refined design evolution and more power than ever, the new Cadillac CTS-V is a more concerted effort to muscle in on the premium super saloon and executive car market. In a segment traditionally dominated by German manufacturers, the CTS-V ostensibly outguns its premium segment competitors in terms of firepower, and challenges the non-premium world’s most powerful regular production saloon Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat.

More convincing harmonised and distinctly American in character, the CTS-V may not have the ultimate refinement, nuance or badge snob appeal of some European rivals, but makes particular gains in design and cabin luxury, and is an utterly compelling feel good alternative. Part sophisticated executive and part brutish muscle car, the CTS-V stands out not just for sheer power, but for its honest, unpretentious and hugely entertaining charisma.

Visceral and athletic

A more sophisticated well-reconciled and mature evolution of Cadillac’s Art and Science design language, the CTS-V employs both more complex and muscular surfacing, and more classic and visceral lines and proportions. Meanwhile, its fascia features hints of both concept and retro Cadillacs, with a slim vertical LED strip converging with swept back headlights and trailing along the waistline and to the rear light tips. 

From profile, the CTS-V’s long bulging bonnet, short front overhang and cabin-rear proportions with short curt rear deck and flowing roofline lend it a classy yet athletic character. Sporty side vents ahead of the A-pillar extend to side character lines to create a sense of momentum, while subtly wide wheel arches and a tapered rear section evoke a distinctly purposeful, road-hugging and urgent impression, complemented by big bore quad tailpipes.

Employing both defined ridges and elegantly athletic curves, the CTS-V — in Cadillac tradition — also features extensive metallic flourishes including grille surround and mesh. Proudly emphasising its high performance nature, the CTS-V’s aero kit is designed to reduce lift and features jutting carbon-fibre front air splitter, rear diffuser, and boot-tip spoiler and prominent bonnet-top engine bay extraction vents. A lightweight carbon-fibre bonnet helps achieve perfect weight balance, with 52.7 per cent front bias.

Instant boost

A herculean high performance saloon well-worthy of its “super” sobriquet, the CTS-V’s supercharged incarnation of General Motors’ venerable, robust and compact aluminium OHV design 6.2-litre V8 engine, gains 84BHP over its predecessor. Developing 640BHP at 6400rpm and 631lb/ft torque at 3600rpm, the CTS-V performance figures are beguiling, with 0-100km demolished in a supercar-like tyre-vaporising flurry of 3.7 seconds as its vast grippy 295/30R19 rear tyre struggle to put power down to tarmac.

However and more important than sheer headline stats, is the CTS-V’s effortless immediacy. With mechanical driven supercharger providing instant and consistent boost, the CTS-V is never found wanting, pouncing off the line with alacrity, brawny and versatile in mid-range, and eager, urgent and explosively powerful as it races to its 6,600rpm rev limit. Capable of 320km/h and with instant, indefatigable delivery, the CTS-V’s on-the-move acceleration is phenomenal, and remains vigorous even when cruising in 8th gear.

Thunderously bassy, growling and wailing and howling at full tilt, the CTS-V can however automatically deactivate 4 cylinders when cruising to save fuel. But given the temptation to overtake and re-activate all cylinders, real world fuel consumption remains thirsty despite more restrained optimal figures. Driven through an 8-speed automatic gearbox with manual p[addle-shift mode holding ratios to red line, the CTS-V’s driveline is slicker, quicker and smoother than before, but not quite like an Audi RS6 Avant.

Agile brute

Balanced and eager through corners, the CTS-V feels alert and nimble and agile for a 1.9-tonne saloon. Turning tidily into corners, the CTS-V also grips well at the rear when one leans onto the outside tires during fast sweeping corners. However, with so much torque on tap it is all too easy to unstick the rear tires on hard acceleration, and kick out the rear through a moderately quick cornering manoeuvre and or to initiate potentially lurid drifts.

Given vast power reserves but no track driving opportunities available to adequately explore at-the-limit handling, one it would seem that the CTS-V’s balance and precise throttle control would seem to serve to well control slides. However, on road, one would do well to be wary of applying too much or too sudden power in corners — especially in low traction conditions — and of course to keep its extensive electronic stability and driver assistance systems switched on.

Steering is meaty and quick at 2.37 turns lock-to-lock, but with decent feel and good precision, allowing one to place it well on road. Meanwhile massive ventilated brake discs and multi-piston callipers provide good pedal feel and immense stopping power, but without horizontal perforation, present with slight fade after moderately heavy, but hold well with more assertive pedal pressure.

Supple and sporty

A refined and comfortable highway cruiser, the CTS-V is stable, settled and committed at speed. Riding on MacPherson strut front and multi-link rear suspension with adaptive magnetic damping, the CTS-V’s features adjustable ride modes. Taut, focused and buttoned down in firmer sport and race settings, the CTS-V has terrific body control through corners and feels firmer — but not uncomfortable — and sportily settled on rebound. Sport and Race modes also alter gearbox auto shift points and speed.

Driving in comfortable Tour mode, the CTS-V’s dampers soften somewhat, with a bit more slackness on compression and rebound than some rivals. Nevertheless, Tour mode works particularly well in being supple and comfortable over jagged bumps, with a smooth and absorbent ride quality that well takes the edge off stiff low-profile tyres, and retain good control of lateral weight transfer. Meanwhile 265/35R19 front tyres provide adequate steering feel and crisp, taut grip on turn-in.

Luxurious if slightly busy in terms of cabin design and layouts, the CTS-V features plenty of quality leathers and soft textures, and features extensive creature comfort and infotainment features, and a touch sensitive controls. Spacious and accommodating in front, it features a well-adjustable driving position with good visibility, supportive seats and configurable instrument binnacle with a central rev counter and HUD windscreen projection. Meanwhile rear space and boot capacity are decent, if not the most generous in this segment.

TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS

Engine: 6.2-litre, supercharged in-line V8 cylinders

Bore x Stroke: 103.25 x 92mm

Compression ratio: 10:1

Valve-train: 16-valve, OHV, variable valve timing, direct injection

Gearbox: 8-speed automatic, rear-wheel drive, limited-slip differential

Gear ratios: 1st 4.56 2nd 2.97 3rd 2.08 4th 1.69 5th 1.27 6th 1.0 7th 0.85 8th 0.65

Reverse/final drive ratios: 3.82/2.85

Power, BHP (PS) [kW]: 640 (649) [477] @6400rpm

Specific power: 103.9BHP/litre

Power-to-weight: 340.4BHP/tonne

Torque lb/ft (Nm): 631 (855) @3600rpm

Specific torque: 138.75Nm/litre

Torque-to-weight: 454.7Nm/tonne

Rev limit: 6600rpm

0-100km/h: under 3.7 seconds

Top speed: 320km/h

Fuel consumption, city/highway: 16.8/11.2 litres/100km* *GM estimate

Fuel capacity: 72 litres

Length: 5,021mm

Width: 1,833mm 

Height: 1,454mm

Wheelbase: 2,910mm

Track, F/R: 1,577/1,554mm

Kerb weight: 1,880kg

Weight distribution, F/R: 52.7 per cent/47.3 per cent

Headroom, F/R: 1,026/952mm

Legroom, F/R: 1,160/899mm

Shoulder room, F/R: 1,446/1,392mm

Hip room, F/R: 1,366/1,353mm

Cargo volume: 388 litres

Steering: Electric-assist rack & pinion

Turning circle: 12.3 metres

Lock-to-lock: 2.37 turns

Suspension F/R: MacPherson struts/multi-link, adaptive magnetic dampers

Brake discs, F/R: Ventilated 390 x 36mm/365 x 28mm

Brake callipers, F/R: 6-/4 pistons

Tyres, F/R: 265/35ZR19/295/30ZR19

NEW YORK — Tesla is set to unveil the Model 3, its long-anticipated pitch to middle-class drivers and a key component in founder Elon Musk’s vision to mainstream the electric car. 

Tesla Motors, until now a purveyor of luxurious all-electric cars with equally luxurious price-tags, plans to sell the Model 3 for $35,000, half the base price of the flagship Model S. 

The Model 3 will be unveiled at Tesla’s Design Studio in Hawthorne, California, on March 31.

Now only putting out 50,000 cars a year, Tesla plans to use the Model 3 to turn itself into a mainstream automaker selling 500,000 electrics annually by 2020.

Analysts say the new car is critical to Tesla at a time when cheap gasoline is challenging all green cars, and as rival General Motors stakes its claim on the electric vehicle middle market with its new Chevrolet Bolt.

“The Model 3 is really the measure if Tesla is going to make it long-term as a car company,” said Jessica Caldwell, an analyst at the auto industry website Edmunds.com.

“If they want to bring the EV to the mass market they need the Model 3 to be successful.”

The Model 3 will be about 20 per cent shorter than the S, placing it in the same segment as the Audi A4. It will also have four-wheel drive, according to people close to the matter.

The car is expected to be able to travel up to 480 kilometres without being recharged, depending on the battery system chosen, and will include modern safety systems such as Autopilot.

The first Model 3s are to be delivered by the end of 2017 in the US, and 2018 in Europe. Consumers can pre-order the vehicles starting March 31 for a deposit of $1,000 or 1,000 euros ($1,100).

Tesla launched its electric car campaign in 2008 Roadster sports car, constructed on the chassis of a Lotus. It then moved into luxury vehicles with Model S, followed by the Model X crossover.

The Model 3 is the logical next step.

“This is their chance to prove that they are not just a specialised niche automaker, but actually a long-term volume automaker,” said Karl Brauer, analyst at Kelley Blue Book.

“They have to establish that they can build a high-quality volume vehicle.”

The group also must demonstrate that it has learned the lessons of past launches, which were marred by significant delays, as when the difficulties with the gull wing doors pushed back the time frame on the Model X.

Bolt will be first

Tesla also faces direct competition from the soon to be released 320km range Chevrolet Bolt, which will have a one-year head start on the Model 3 in getting the attention of consumers looking for a moderately priced EV.

Darin Gesse, product marketing manager for Chevrolet’s electrification division, admitted “There is a cachet and a brand image” at Tesla. 

Nevertheless, he said, “We also know Chevrolet has a brand image. We have shown that our customers have been the most happy in the country. Our battery is solid. We have confidence.” 

Brauer said the Bolt’s earlier debut could pose problems for Tesla.

“If it would have hit now, it would have been a game changer as first to market,” Brauer said. “Now it’s going to be the second to arrive after the Bolt.”

Cheap gas is also a challenge, as more consumers opt for SUVs and other large vehicles.

In February, only about 3 per cent of the 1.3 million cars sold in the US were green cars, according to data from hybridcars.com

“Gas prices are still down,” Caldwell said. “I think you will get the Tesla fans, but you may not have a massive mainstream market.”

NEW YORK — Instead of dishing out a hybrid, plug-in hybrid or a electric vehicle, Hyundai did all three — in a single car.

It’s the new Ioniq — pronounced “Ionic” — that will come to showrooms later this year and early next year in its various iterations. In unveiling the car at the New York Auto Show, Hyundai promised it’s not going to be just another small, fuel-efficient, high-tech car, but rather one that should post some astounding gas-mileage and range numbers:

•The hybrid version is expected to be rated at 91.2km or 92.8km per gallon in combined city and highway driving. That would be better than the Toyota’s Prius, the leading hybrid.

•The plug-in version is expected to have an electric-only range of 40km before the gas engine kicks in, which would higher than the Prius’ plug-in version. It will have a range of about 900km between its battery and gas engine.

•The full electric will have a range of 176km between charges, which is towards the top of the range of cars that aren’t Teslas or Chevy Bolts.

Selling hybrids or electrics becomes more difficult in an era of low gas prices, but Ioniq has the advantage of being sporty behind the wheel, says Mike O’Brien, Hyundai Motor America’s planning chief. “Certainly the price of gas isn’t going to help us,” he says. But designers and engineers approached Ioniq from a unique standpoint: “How do we make a hybrid that’s more fun to drive than a gas car?”

He calls it a “no-compromises hybrid”.

WASHINGTON — Stroll around the office or neighbourhood six times a day, and earn $1.5 towards your health insurance. Step up activity a bit more and bring the total to $1,400 annually.

The catch: you need to wear a special activity tracker that monitors steps taken, “intensity” levels and other physical indicators.

That’s the offer in a new insurance product marketed by UnitedHealthcare, the second-largest US health insurer, one of many programmes aimed at boosting physical fitness and reducing health insurance costs for employers and employees.

“One of the greatest challenges we have is how to incentivise and motivate individuals to be accountable for their own heath and well-being,” said Steve Beecy of UnitedHealthcare.

He called the Trio Tracker device, introduced with technology partner Qualcomm, “a game changer”.

Across the US, employers are stepping up the use of technology in “wellness” programmes that encourage healthier lifestyles.

Wellness programmes aren’t new, but technology like activity trackers has transformed them with more precise measurements and automated uploads to verify activity.

A survey of more than 200 large employers by the National Business Group on Health found 37 per cent used activity trackers in 2015, and another 37 per cent planned to adopt the technology in coming years. 

“There is a strong interest [in the use of technology] because of the impact on an employer’s long-term healthcare costs,” said Scott Marcotte of Xerox Human Resources, which participated in the study.

Makers of activity trackers such as Fitbit and Jawbone have been expanding their efforts to be part of corporate wellness programmes.

One of the biggest tie-ups was announced last year when US retail giant Target said it would offer free or discounted Fitbit trackers to its more than 300,000 employees.

‘Gamification’

As a further incentive, Target said it would allow teams of employees which log the most average daily steps to collect more than $1 million for local non-profit organisations.

This strategy of providing financial incentives for healthy activity is known in the industry as “gamification”.

Jimmy Fleming of the consulting group Healthy Wage said financial incentives can make a difference in spurring healthier behaviours.

“We have a lot of clients who want to subsidise the programme and make it free, but it’s less effective,” Fleming said. “There has to be both a carrot and a stick.”

One programme being offered through health services firm Vitality Group provides an Apple Watch for $25, a fraction of the retail cost. But employees must “pay” for the device by completing workouts and gym visits each month.

Growth in such programmes over the past few years coincides with incentives to meet Obamacare goals on preventive care, and with new research suggesting that more activity can ward off many medical ailments.

Data mining

But the new programmes raise questions about private data collected and stored by insurers.

While employers and insurers must comply with US privacy regulations so that health data cannot be seen or used by employers, critics still worry.

“Technology is outpacing the legal protections in place,” said Bradley Shear, a Washington lawyer specialising in privacy.

“While some employee wellness programmes and the data collected may be protected under [federal privacy law], others may not be.”

A report this year by the University of Toronto’s Citizen Lab warned of potential problems. For example, there have been situations where fitness tracker-related information was introduced in sexual assault cases or personal injury claims.

“Such data, if it can be manipulated, brings such evidence into question as well as the broader trustworthiness of fitness tracker data... there are also concerns that the radios in fitness trackers could be used to monitor their wearers’ movements,” the report said.

Barbara Duck, a technology consultant who writes a blog on health privacy, said the financial incentives are not worth it.

Duck said that although insurers cannot sell or disclose personal health data, “they can put a score on your head and sell that”.

“It’s not about making you healthier in the long run, it’s about collecting more data to sell and to score you with,” she said.

Also, some employees will feel compelled to participate because they cannot afford the financial penalties if they don’t, Duck said.

Sales of wearable tech devices surged nearly 200 per cent in the third quarter of last year to 21 million units, according to the latest IDC survey.

Some surveys show as many as 20 per cent of Americans use a fitness tracker.

IDC analyst Lynne Dunbrack said it will take time to see if fitness trackers take hold in the workplace and achieve their goals.

“Part of the challenge with these programmes is that the ones who tend to use it the most and stay with it are not the target population for the chronic problems,” she said.

Gaza as a Metaphor
Edited by Helga Tawil-Souri & Dina Matar
London: Hurst & Company, 2016
Pp. 265

If one initially wonders why a literary device like metaphor was chosen to address the all-too-real situation in Gaza, Dina Matar’s introduction provides an answer: “As Gaza becomes increasingly physically inaccessible, perhaps the easiest way to bring it closer — to grasp it, to humanise it, maybe even change it — is through metaphors.” (p. 2)

While the book cites statistics, Matar reminds that “numbers often conceal more than they expose”, and fail to convey “the context of Gaza’s lived realities”. (p. 3-4)

It is the latter which is addressed from different angles by the 23 contributors to “Gaza as a Metaphor”, who include academics, journalists, writers, doctors and UN officials. Several of them were born in Gaza; most have spent extended time there; all have something unique and important to impart in this compilation of consistently excellent essays. 

In “Gaza as Larger than Life”, Helga Tawil-Souri shows concretely how metaphor can re-humanise perceptions of its inhabitants: “There are 2 million experiences of survival and creativity that are, given the conditions hindering them, extraordinary... Gaza is a voluminous will to live.” (pp. 15-16) “Gaza is… the larger than life shadow of the coloniser’s fear: a people that cannot be quelled.” (p. 26)

This last conviction is a recurring theme throughout the book.

Bringing Gaza closer are a number of personal essays, some using irony and humour as their means of truth telling. Among them is Haidar Eid’s diary of Israel’s 2014 onslaught, in which he laments, “So much technology, so much communication, so many words, so little action, so little change.” (p. 31) 

Eid also makes a poignant comparison to the 1948 Nakbeh and its continuation in the present, another recurring theme in the essays, and stresses the need to return to the roots of the conflict: “Now, the lifting of the siege is not enough. When this barbaric attack ends with the victory of the Palestinian people, we do not want a Palestinian Authority, nor Oslo Accords, nor ‘security coordination’… [We want] the end of occupation, apartheid and colonialism.” (p. 35)

The metaphors used to characterise Israeli policy paint a horrifying picture of steady deterioration in Gazans’ living conditions. Several essays trace the decline of Gaza from a Bantustan to a giant internment camp to an animal pen or zoo, in what Darryl Li terms “an ongoing process of controlled abandonment”. (p. 188)

To the list of high-tech weaponry that has turned Gaza into a war laboratory, Ilana Feldman, writing about Gaza’s increasing isolation, adds “immobility as a lethal weapon”. (p. 95)

For his part, Said Shehadeh argues that the 2014 war “was designed to engineer trauma on a massive scale, and amounts to mass torture inflicted on the entire Gazan population”. (p. 37)

“Gaza is transforming yet again, this time from a zoo to a torture chamber.” (p. 51)

Many authors point out that the media’s failure to provide historical context makes it appear that Israeli attacks are ad hoc responses to Palestinian violence. The book remedies this failure with a number of in-depth accounts of Gaza’s particular history, such as the essays of Ramzy Baroud and Salman Abu Sitta. 

Humanitarianism, no matter how well intentioned, also comes under scrutiny for dovetailing with the Israeli policy of enforced helplessness, neglecting history and disguising the fact that Gaza’s catastrophes are man-made and thus preventable. Jehad Abu Salim speaks for many others when he contends, “The fact that Gaza’s crisis could be solved tomorrow if the majority-refugee population were granted its right of return is completely ignored by the humanitarian discourse.” (p. 93) 

Another important theme is that the almost unbearable situation in Gaza is not an exception or isolated example, but what Israel intends for the Palestinians overall. Israeli structures and methods of control and punishment, which originated in Gaza, are now commonplace in the West Bank as well — walls, fences, checkpoints morphed into border-like terminals, the segregation and urban concentration of the population as more and more land is confiscated, etc. As stated by Glen Bowman, “Israeli policies are fundamentally the same for both areas but… Gaza is further down the road to encystation and bare life.” (p. 120)

Sara Roy’s deeply moral essay counters Israel’s claim that Gaza is a place where innocent civilians do not exist, saying that “among all the stories Gazans could tell, one continues to preoccupy them more than all the others — an entreaty that still remains unheard: the quest for human dignity”. (p. 220) 

If widely read, this book has the potential to raise the volume and increase the resonance of Gazans’ stories.

NEW YORK — Turns out there’s a shadowy global industry devoted to breaking into smartphones and extracting their information. But you’ve probably never heard of it unless you’re a worried parent, a betrayed spouse — or a federal law enforcement agency.

Now one of those hacking businesses may well be helping the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) try to break into the iPhone of one of the San Bernardino killers.

Late Monday, the FBI abruptly put its legal fight with Apple on hold, announcing that an “outside party” had come forward with a way to unlock the phone. If it works, it could render Apple’s forced cooperation unnecessary.

The announcement has thrown a spotlight on a group of digital forensic companies, contractors and freelance consultants that make a living cracking security protections on phones and computers. In effect, they’re legally exploiting software and hardware flaws in products.

Success can mean big bucks and recognition in their field. But most of the companies keep a very low profile. Since the bulk of their business is with governments and law enforcement, there’s no reason to for them to market themselves to companies or regular people. In addition, it’s in their interest to keep exactly what they do under wraps, said Christopher Soghoian, principal technology expert for the ACLU.

“The companies won’t share their secrets. It’s their special sauce,” Soghoian said. “And they certainly won’t tell Apple how they’re doing what they’re doing.”

For the moment, no one outside the justice department appears to know who the FBI’s white knight is. A great deal of speculation centres on Cellebrite — an Israel-based forensics firm that says it does business with thousands of law enforcement and intelligence agencies, militaries and governments in more than 90 countries — though it remains one of several possible candidates. A company spokesman declined to comment.

Cellebrite, founded in 1999, has contracts with the FBI dating back to at least 2013. It signed a separate $15.3 million deal with the FBI on Monday, according to government records. The firm makes devices that allow law enforcement to extract and decode data such as contacts, pictures and text messages from more than 15,000 kinds of smartphones and other mobile devices.

It also makes commercial products that companies can use to help their customers transfer data from old phones to new ones. Apple even uses Cellebrite devices in some of its stores.

In the cybersecurity arms race, Apple has managed to stay ahead of these forensic companies. Cellebrite’s website says its commercial tools work with iPhones running older operating systems, including iOS 8, but not the latest version, iOS 9, which is on the San Bernardino phone.

Of course, it’s possible that one of these companies has made a breakthrough.

“Anything is crackable — it’s just how much time do you have and how much money do you have to spend,” said Jeremy Kirby, sales director at Susteen, a Cellebrite competitor in Irvine, California, that says it’s not the FBI’s outside party.

Susteen started as a software developer that made tools for cellphone companies. Kirby said his firm began developing forensic products for law enforcement about 10 years ago, after the FBI asked it to produce a tool that could preserve cellphone data for criminal investigations.

Now the company says its products are used by the defence department and hundreds of law enforcement agencies nationwide. It also sells a less powerful data extraction tool for consumers who want to check up on their kids or spouses by seeing their text messages, e-mails, smartphone photos and even deleted files.

Forensic companies maintain their own research staffs that probe target devices for weak spots, but for tough jobs, they sometimes turn to freelance hackers, some of whom will work for the highest bidder.

“What we’re seeing now is what you can’t do for yourself, you can buy,” said Zuk Avraham, founder of the mobile security firm Zimperium, which seeks to defend phones against hacking.

Inspired by the FBI-Apple stand-off, Rook Security, an Indianapolis-based cybersecurity firm that works with law enforcement, formed an expert team devoted to creating a copy of an iPhone’s flash memory , hoping a backup would allow investigators to restore data that could be wiped out after too many wrong password guesses.

Many security researchers think that might work, though no one has announced success or demonstrated it on an iPhone running iOS 9 or higher.

Avraham said he has no doubt the San Bernardino iPhone can be hacked.

“It’s only a matter of time and resources,” he said. “We have seen so many times when security researchers claim something to be impossible. They’re proven wrong over time.”

NEW YORK – British carmaker Jaguar has developed a tool to win over seen-it-all millennials who view a conventional test drive as passe.

Seeking to tap into younger customers’ desire for a few moments of cinematic glory, Jaguar films the prospective customers behind the wheel as they navigate the vehicle through several precarious driving challenges, channeling their inner speed demon.

Moments later, they are e-mailed a slickly edited two-minute film, which can conveniently be uploaded to Facebook and social media sites.

“It all takes literally minutes,” said Jaguar spokesman Stuart Schorr. “By the time you’re done, you’ve taken a test drive, but you’ve also got an asset that’s shareable and fun.”

The clever tactic is part of the 94-year-old brand’s effort to boost its US sales as it broadens its offerings in 2016 with the introduction of new models, including the F-PACE, Jaguar’s first sports utility vehicle. 

But all the automakers at this week’s New York International Auto Show have the new generation in their sights.

“Generation Y will dictate who wins and who loses in the marketplace,” said John Humphrey of JD Power’s global automotive practice. “It is by far the biggest generation we’ve had in the US.”

BMW, also eyeing millennials, has trained a cadre of some 1,000 showroom “geniuses” — like the staff at an Apple Store “Genius Bar” — to show drivers how they can customise the car’s myriad gadgets and driving tools.

They are distinct from the salesforce and are not supposed to seal deals, said Ludwig Willisch, president and chief executive of BMW North America.

Millennials “don’t like sales pressure,” Willisch told the JD Power auto forum Tuesday, as opposed to their parents, the baby boomers, who rely more on test drives and multiple visits before making a purchase.

With millennials, he said, “You only get one shot.”

“If we get this right, and we will, we have the opportunity to create lifelong BMW drivers.” 

Pocketbook challenge       

It is a crucial point for luxury cars, which account for about half of the auto industry’s profits. A long-term worry for auto companies is that with the surge of rideshare programs like Uber and optimism about self-driving cars, younger Americans will drive less than earlier generations did. 

Humphrey said automakers face particular pressure because the overall US auto market is expected to cool significantly following several boom years.

“We’re coming up on the end of the current cycle,” said Humphrey, who warned that the industry could slip back towards overcapacity and a reliance on rebates and cheap prices to move inventory.

Those practices are less a problem for brands like Jaguar and BMW, which cater to a more select group of buyers less influenced by price, Humphrey said. 

But luxury brands face other difficulties with millennials, a generation renowned for carrying hefty student loans and without the means to spend $50,000 or $60,000 on a car. 

Compact and midsized cars accounted for the highest shares of the millennial market in 2015, with a combined 32.6 per cent. Premium vehicles in total accounted for less than 10 per cent, according to JD Power data.

For that reason, luxury automakers are taking the long-term view in their marketing campaigns. 

Few of the 6,000 consumers who have participated in the Jaguar events have ordered one of their cars, Schorr said. But about 60 per cent have shared their personal action videos on Facebook. That creates additional exposure and buzz, enhancing the brand’s prospects.

“The whole subtext is to reintroduce the Jaguar brand to a younger group of customers, and that’s an investment you look to pay off over a number of years,” he said. 

In an apparently strange move, Samsung’s newest flagship smartphone, the Galaxy S7, features a 12-megapixel (MP) camera, whereas two models ago the company S5’s camera sported 16MP. Does this constitute a step backward, a bad thing?

On the contrary, it is a wise move forward and the decision of a manufacturer that is now mature. More importantly it tells you a lot about deceptive numbers versus quality. If this known commercial behaviour can be found in many fields, it is more particularity flagrant in the world of high-tech where vendors try to entice you to buy their products by impressing you with raw numbers that do not really reflect the final quality or performance.

As a matter of fact, the new Galaxy S7 camera performs significantly better than previous models that have higher MP count and has already received a milestone of 88 per cent, the highest mark by any smartphone camera on the respected DXOMark web reference test. The explanation is simple, regardless of MP count, the S7 lens is of a much better quality. Besides, professional photographers are rarely impressed by the MP count that only reflects the size of the photo you get in the end, not its quality. And since 12MP already produce a quite large picture, who needs more then on a phone set?

Transpose the concept to Internet subscriptions now. In Amman you can get a 24Mb ADSL line or a 4Mb leased line, among other options of course. Here again, 24Mb seems faster at first sight. The truth is it is not. The inherent structure of ADSL means that you are actually sharing the line with a few other subscribers and that what you actually get depends on everybody’s usage at any given moment. In other words, the real speed is totally inconsistent and oscillates between some values, the highest of which is 24Mb, if you are very, very lucky.

On the other hand, a leased like is just for you, fully dedicated, no one else uses it and you always get consistent 4Mb, both in upload and download, which anyway is never the case in ADSL mode. Now of course, ADSL even at 24Mb will cost you between 400 and 800 dinars per year (depending on whether you are a home user or a business client), whereas leased lines are five to six times more expensive; but this is another subject altogether.

On to hard disks. Forget about terabytes, although the flashy numbers can always help you to impress your friends over social talk in the evening. Typically vendors will only tell you about how large the capacity of the hard disk is, 1TB, 2TB, etc., but its actual working speed is kept in the background, in the shadow. Hard disks rotational speed varies from as “slow” as 4,500 rpm (rotations per minute) to superfast models operating at 15,000 rpm. In between these two extremes, you get 5,400, 7,500 or 10,000 rpm. The slowest are usually found on entry-level laptop computers, whereas the fastest are installed on servers.

Naturally, in the end it all boils down to numbers when it comes to technology, but vendors should give you all the numbers, not just those they choose to put forward, and the accurate ones what’s more. It’s like telling the truth in court, in cannot be just partial, it must be complete so as not to deceive.